Whitelight and the Weaving Princess
by IIII coAtL IIII
Summary: Byakuya X Orihime fic within an AU. Byakuya is a dragon in a world where dragons can only mate with humans. Need I say more?
1. Chapter 1

**This story marks my return into the world of fanfic writing, and so, I hope it will be of good quality.**

**Title explanation: 'Byakuya' means 'White Light'**

** 'Orihime' means something like 'Weaving Princess'**

**I know it is not the most imaginative title in existence, but it has been a long night and this one was the only one that "clicked" during the title choosing phase.**

**I am aware that all my previous stories have supported Byakuya X Rukia, but time it is different. During my absence I have started liking Byakuya X Orihime for reasons that I may or may not explain at a later time. I am aware that it is a complete crack pairing, but everyone has a crack pairing that he/she likes and this one is mine.**

**I'll take this opportunity to inform readers that I shall not continue my "Heaven's not enough" fic, simply because it ships Byakuya X Rukia and it is not my style to pair a character with multiple others at the same time. If I ever come back to liking Byakuya X Rukia (which is unlikely), I will consider continuing that fic.**

**Even though Byakuya X Orihime is a crack pairing, I dislike cracky plots, so because there would be no original, realistic and sense-full way to get them together within the already existing Bleach universe, this story shall take place in an AU. Despite this, I shall do my best to keep all characters in character, as well as bringing the maximum amount of references from the Bleach universe.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"Inside my soul dwell ancient secrets and heavy longings."

. . .

Had the night passed already? The shy sunrays that managed to slip past his window curtains caught him completely awake. He turned his face away from them, closing his eyes, hoping in vain that maybe he could fall asleep for just a few moments before he had to get up. Perhaps he could stay in bed for the entire day and simply disregard the traditions, the rules. The ruckus he would create with yet another delay would be too much.

Kuchiki Byakuya mustered the strength to get up, letting out a long sigh before parting the curtains, allowing summer sun to bask his room in warmth. He had already delayed this for decades and now there was no turning it around. In truth, he did not mind the responsibilities and prestige that came with his rank, but if there were days in which he wished he had not been born as the Avatar of the white ones, this day would be one of them. What if he renounced his title? That would solve his problem. He could be one of the warriors or commoners that could not care less about avoiding such traditions. A small smile curbed his lips in amusement – amusement towards the utter absurdities his mind could concoct simply to avoid what had to be done. He repeated that again to himself… _it had to be done_. All Avatars were obliged by thousands of years of traditions to go through the same process, although some of his current peers could not care less. For a moment, he tried to envision Zaraki Kenpachi in his position.

"Dreadfull…"

Regardless of what other Avatars would do, he understood the risk of him not following such customs, especially in dire times like these. Him, most of all, had to do it, because of his double status; both as a noble lord and as Avatar. Leading by example is one of his roles, which he would fulfill without fail, he thought to himself… as his heart was breaking.

[…]

"Are you enjoying your breakfast, Byakuya-sama?" Byakuya could have sworn the bite he swallowed had gone the wrong way at hearing the question. From behind his emotionless mask, he often took advantage of his rank to insert sarcastic lines towards his fellow members of the Kuchiki house and observing, in silent amusement, their reaction of trying to understand whether he was serious or not. A habit from his childhood, that simply took its time to die, he thought to himself with a smile. This time, however, the nobles sitting at his table had cornered him and were more than content at the opportunity to finally thrown their own spears.

"It is… up to Kuchiki standards." He answered, complimenting every person at the table in a subtle attempt at soothing the beasts.

"Please do not hold back on eating bread, Byakuya-sama." Came another pointy tip…

"Oh yes, indeed." …and another.

During all but the rarest occasions, the table in the main dining hall would be close to empty at the time he would eat breakfast. At best, Rukia would keep him company, seated at the other end of the table, barely within her voice's reach. This was due to the fact that his business at the 6th division would require attention at early hours – too early for the bulk of noblemen and women residing within the many wings of the Kuchiki estate.

Today, however, Byakuya could not help but notice how every possible family member and their dog had, through pure coincidence, gathered at the table, exactly at the time of his breakfast. Not to say that such an event would make it less boring or silent. Oh no… This was not at all like the loud lunch get-together that occurred at the 6th division barracks. The white ones were all well versed in maintaining stoic faces and displaying _proper_ manners at any and all events; apart from the occasional hushed whisper – and now the sarcasm filled remarks – breakfasts at Kuchiki manor had little to no difference in execution, regardless of how many members attended.

"You will be going to the human world today, right, Byakuya Nii-sama?" as if possible, the room got even more silent at Rukia's intervention.

"That is correct, Rukia." Poor, clueless girl, he thought. Despite knowing that she did not put salt on the wound intentionally, he could not help but ponder on her bad timing to be asking such questions.

"You should take her with you, Byakuya-sama." Ginrei Kuchiki's voice came as a knife, cutting through the tension in the room. "That is, If you so desire. I am certain that Miss Rukia would enjoy the short break from our world." Being Byakuya's grandfather, Ginrei would not normally address him with such honorifics when the conversation was just between the two of them. However, with the crowd in the room, he did not miss the chance to remind everyone in a subtle way that, _without exception_, all must show the head of the family respect – even the former head. After all, Kuchikis were supposed to lead by example.

"I…" Rukia opened her mouth, but words did not seem to form past the first one. Upon looking at the dismissive expressions of her 'family members', she decided it was best to wait for her adoptive brother's response.

"I will take it into consideration." Byakuya could not help but notice Rukia's face light up to the prospect of her actually going to the human world. Ginrei seemed to be satisfied with this much, given his nod. Despite having initially opposed her adoption into the family for the same reasons that every other white one did, except Byakuya, he would be the only one who would ever notice or address Rukia nowadays. Byakuya assumed that Ginrei's long years had given him sufficient wisdom to know when pride was less important than a life.

"Preparations for your departure are already being set into motion, Byakuya-sama." His attention was brought upon Ginko Kuchiki, one of the eldest whites. You will be escorted into the human world by four others. One of them shall be Abarai Renji, your lieutenant.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of this task without assistance." A frown instilled itself upon Byakuya's visage.

"It is not a matter of aptitude, of course…" the elder took in a long breath, finding his words "…but rather a respect of protocol."

"I see." In truth, it was because they feared he would change his mind, he thought. Could he blame them? They had already agreed to delay this event by so many years, and with the death of his wife, Hiasana as painful as ever, he himself wondered if he was actually going along with this. He even understood why they would send his lieutenant – to remind him that this was not only his duty as the head of the family, but that of an Avatar as well.

[…]

"Phew… It has been a loooong time since I came here, Kuchiki-sama." The redhead took in a big whiff of the surrounding air "Well… the smell has gotten worse."

"Right this way, Rukia-sama." One of the escorts helped the petite girl pass through the Senkaimon, right before the portal closed behind them.

"Oy, Rukia… don't ya think it smells worse than before?" Renji elbowed her slightly, narrowing his eyes. Since she had been taken to their world, Rukia seemed to had developed a very strong bond with the red haired man next to her, and while they both displayed a short fuse in temper when it came to eachother's presence, Byakuya knew the bond was genuine. It made him glad that she could connect to one of their kind, despite everything she had been through. It was also the only reason why he allowed frequent visits from his lieutenant at the mansion, as well as sending him invitations to events in which Rukia would participate. "Then again… I doubt humans can smell as good as we can. Well, in case you can't sense the difference, I'm telling ya… it smells worse than before."

"Lord Kuchiki… we are exactly where you specified. Is there any part of the city where you would like to start the search?"

"Contact our acquaintances at Urahara Shop and inform them of our arrival." Byakuya chose to ignore the probability that the elders had probably sent word with the event's date and time to the shop owner.

"Ka-ra-ku-ra…" Renji interrupted their conversation by reading the name of the city Byakuya had chosen from what seemed like a map. "Why Karakura town? I heard all the good ones are in the big cities and-" He immediately felt his body tense up as cold sweat traveled down his spine, when making eye contact with Byakuya. "T-Then again… Karakura town seems more than… perfect… sir."

"Idiot…you dare insult Nii-sama's tastes?!" she pulled him down into a bow, facing her brother.

"Psch… I said it was perfect, didn't I?"

"And how would you know where the best ones are, Renji?" came the emotionless reply from his superior "I had not believed you took active interest in such things, yet."

"I..." His face had turned completely red.

"I understand, however. It is never too early to start, given the situation of our species." The coming days might not be his definition of pleasurable, but that did not mean he could not have fun at his lieutenant's expense.

"No! It's not like that at all. I… errm…" the fact that Rukia was looking insistently at him, waiting for an excuse at how he got such knowledge was weighing him down even more. "I'm sorry, sir." An apology seemed the only thing that came out.

"They are already expecting us, sir." One of the servants intervened after having removed a cell phone from his ear. "Transportation has been dispatched, and will take us to your reserved villa on the outskirts."

A simple nod was enough to dismiss the man in front of him. Renji had been right; the human world did smell different. It had been decades since he came here last, to find and adopt Rukia into the Kuchiki family in order to respect the dying wish of the woman he loved. The moment of meeting her was not a pleasant memory in his mind, and though he knew better than to blame Rukia for being a near-perfect image of Hisana, his late wife, he could never bring himself to look upon her during the first years of her stay at the Kuchiki mansion. This, in turn, lead to a wide chasm forming between them, and yet, despite all the rough treatment she had received from the family members, she always looked upon him with respect and awe. The little girl's impeccable behavior would only be disrupted when she would be in the presence of his simple minded lieutenant; proof of such was happening right behind him as the two had not finished arguing about Renji's last slip-up.

"So tell me… what make the biiiig city girls so 'good', oh wise and knowledgeable one? Hmmm?"

"Rukia… it's not what you think, ok? Besides…you don't have to feel frustrated because you are a small town girl."

"What?!"

Byakuya would have allowed himself a slight smile, as reaction to their ongoing argument, if the limousine which was supposed to pick them up had not arrived.

[…]

The remainder of the day had not been as fruitful as those surrounding Byakuya had hoped. A message sent to Sereitei described that the White Avatar had refused every possible option displayed to him. Despite the growing desperation of the Kuchiki elders, they could not subvert the importance of his reason for denying the ones presented – that his choice had to represent the peak of its species, in order to be worthy of an Avatar's attention – and so, their stay in the human world was agreed upon to be prolonged by a number of three days. Byakuya had to hold in a smile upon receiving their response; a short lived smile, however, as he knew that within three days, they would be the ones smiling.

"D'you hear, Rukia? Our vacation has been extended for another 3 days. Cheers to Lord Kuchiki, huh?" Renji gulped another sip out of his sake bottle, knowing full well that his duties for the day had ended.

"Idiot… Nii-sama is here on important business!" she looked with reluctance at the food in front of her.

"Yeah… and while he is handling his _important business_, I'm gonna enjoy the time spent here, right, Urahara-san?"

"Between you and me, your… brother is one tough customer, Kuchiki-san. You'd think the man would be more easily satisfied." Kisuke chose to ignore the rambling half-drunk.

"That's one huge understatement!"Renji's voice resonated in the background.

"He is simply keeping in mind the future of the clan… "

"Won't be he joining us for dinner? An old friend of his will be arriving at any moment."

"An old friend? Wh-"

"I saw Kuchiki-sama leaving the villa about a half hour ago. I just assumed he went to hunt the prize by himself, so I didn't say anything… hehe…" Renji stopped her from finishing.

"Is that really all that you can think about, fool?!"

"My, my… Yoruichi-san will be disappointed that he's not here."

[…]

"Thank you, again, for helping me with this, Sado-kun… Tatsuki-chan."

"Of course we'd help you. Walking around in the park at these hours for a girl is not safe, damn it! So why have you brought us here?"

"Uhm… well…" she opened one of the bags she was carrying.

"Bread?!"

"Not just bread. Croissants, baguettes, sweet-rolls… Since I've been working at the pastry shop, I've noticed that everything we don't sell is thrown away at the end of the day, so I asked my boss for permission about taking the leftovers myself to give away to people without food."

"How is it that you still have enough energy for this, with a job and college on your schedule?" Instead of answering, however, Orihime shoved one of the bags in Tatsuki's hands.

"Quick. Quick! Dinner time has already passed and I'm sure these people didn't get a healthy meal."

"Uhm… These sweets can't really be considered a healthy meal either." Chad's words did not seem to phase the orange-head who had taken the lead, bread-bag in hand.

The lamp posts that littered the alleys of the park started flickering to life just as Orihime finished handing out the last baguette. It wasn't much - definitely not enough to fill their bellies - but even this was better than nothing. She took a deep breath, enjoying the warm summer breeze. The sun was barely visible from behind the houses that bordered the park. Tatsuki and Chad must have finished their share and were waiting for her.

"Sado-kun… is everything alright?"

"That man has been staring at you for the past 15 minutes."

"Yeah… tall, dark and creepy over there is _exactly_ the reason why girls like you should not be out here this late."

The man did not appear to look elsewhere even when Orihime turned to face him, and she could not help but feel a shiver travel down her spine.

"Ok, now he's coming towards us. Let's just _get the hell out of here_!" Before Inoue could object, Tatsuki grabbed her shoulders, turning her in the opposite direction and pushing her forward.

"Tatsuki-chan, that's rude."

"Yeah, well… he can sue me."

"Uhmm… so, am I to understand that you guys are not going to help me again, tomorrow?"

[…]

The next day, Orihime woke up before her alarm clock could do its job. Getting out of bed quickly, as if she had awaited for the moment it would ring, she hurried to get under the shower. The first few seconds of cold water made the hair on her body stand up. The nightmare that woke her up in the middle of the night and prevented her from falling asleep flashed through her mind. She was back in the park, again, but nobody was in sight, except the man who had been looking at her when she gave away bread to the homeless; this time, as he stood there, watching, his shadow grew and grew into a huge, winged, white ghost. The man did not seem to be scared by this, as his face remained serious, with his gaze still fixated on her. She tried to run, but the monster started following her, trying to reach out and grab her with its claws. The dream had ended when the ghost managed to finally grab her.

"Maybe Tatsuki-chan was right…" she curled up in her tub, wrapping her arms around her knees, as the water pouring over her had finally warmed up "_Now_ who's the rude one?" she scolded herself for giving into her friend's paranoid behavior.

A normal day at the pastry shop she was working at would start earlier than others, given that they were preparing and baking their own products. Every one of the 4 employees would rotate to fill in each and every spot needed to run the small shop, and today, Orihime would assume the role of cashier and take requests via phone call, while her boss and the two other employees would take care of baking.

It was not until noon that she received her first customers. From behind the glass panels that represented the front of the shop, she saw a black limousine pull over, its driver quickly getting down to open hold the door for those he served. The short, raven haired girl that got out first was wearing a violet sundress inscribed with silver butterflies, as well as a pair of big sunglasses which she took off as soon as she turned to face the shop with a smile on her features. The second person that came out was a tall man with red hair, whose attire, although not of matching elegance to the girl's, did not denote bad taste. At the sight of the third man that came out of the car, Orihime's eyes widened. It was _him_. The man in the park. He was wearing a black suit with black tie now, but it was definitely him. Her nightmare flashed in her mind again.

The sound of the door being pushed open brought Inoue back to her senses. This was nonsense. She would put any silly thoughts out of her mind and greet her customers with proper manners. The girl came in first, followed by the red-head, which kept the door open for the third man.

"H-Hello!" she forced a smile "Can I help you with anything?"

The girl looked around the shop, clearly interested in the sweets, but did not answer.

"My name is Kuchiki Byakuya." The one in her dream moved his gaze to meet hers. "And yours is…?"

Inoue felt the air leave her lungs under the intense stare.

"You would do well to answer him, girl." The redhead had let go of the door and turned to measure her.

"I-Inoue Orihime…" the words came out on their own.

" Ori-_hime_…" Byakuya repeated her name under his breath, noticing that, perhaps through some coincidence, he found even her name fitting.

"Is she the one, Kuchiki-sama?" Renji interrupted his train of thought.

A simple nod from his superior was sufficient for the lieutenant to act.

"Inoue Orihime…" he started walking towards her "… you have been chosen as the mate of the White Dragon Avatar."

"Wha-"

Before she could finish, Renji disappeared from sight and appeared next to her, behind the counter, placing one hand on her shoulder.

"Do not struggle." Was the last thing Orihime heard before sliding into unconsciousness.

* * *

**This is the first chapter. I have no beta, so excuse the mistakes, if you find any.**

**To explain the joke with the "Do not hold back on eating bread" made by one of the Kuchiki family members at the table: It is a known fact that bread and other food made out of grain help replenish a man's semen faster… therefore, during a couple's attempts at conceiving, the man is encouraged to eat a sufficient amount of above mentioned food types, in order to keep being… productive even after repeated attempts within a short period of time. And since Byakuya was supposed to find a mate with which to conceive… well you get the point.**

**'Hime' means 'princess' and Orihime means 'Weaving Princess', which is why Byakuya thought that even her name fits… given that he is a Lord and the girl he found suitable to be his mate had a Princess name. Get it? Good.**

**That aside, I do not know when the next chapter will be up, given that this one took several days to write. I have not written anything in a long time so inform me if my writing style has become encumbersome and hard to read.**

**Reviews with honest opinions are welcome.**

**Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I present to you the 2nd chapter of 'Whitelight and the Weaving Princess'. Although there is no real Byakuya X Orihime in this chapter, I felt that it was important for me to include the lore I had created for this AU. As you will read, you will find similarities with the events in the Bleach canon universe, while also noticing that some other things are obviously different down the storyline.**

**I wrote this whole chapter in several hours, because I enjoyed writing it. I enjoy challenges… and combining dragons with Bleach lore in the same story proved to be a good workout for my creativity.**

**Boke = a more friendly way of calling someone an 'idiot' or 'dummy'**

**Sitting seiza-style = traditional way of sitting, on one's knees, with feet under the bottom (Google it for visual reference)**

* * *

"Here's everything I know about war: Somebody wins, somebody loses, and nothing is ever the same again."

. . .

"We have her. Instruct the servants to prepare the Senkaimon. We are returning."

[…]

"She is very beautiful, Nii-sama."

"I'll say… You sure know how to pic'em, sir."

[…]

"…She definitely seems to be an interesting choice, Byakuya-sama. When can we expect the…_process_ to begin?"

"Your curiosity seems to exceed your memory. I do not take lightly to those who forget their place before me."

"M-My deepest apologies, Byakuya-sama. I did not mean to sound imposing."

"I shall have the girl when I see fit. For now, she is to be left undisturbed, so that she may regain her strength."

[…]

"Hey… Wha-What happened?" The first person Inoue saw when she woke up was a young, brown haired woman who seemed to be dusting a cabinet in the room. She still felt her body heavy and her mind lazy.

"Miss Orihime…-sama!" by the sharp tone of her voice, the girl seemed to have been taken by surprise "You are awake. I shall inform the family members at once!"

"Inform… what? Huh? Hey…wait… where are you going?" She tried to get up to standing position but the she felt the room spinning around her and immediately fell back with her head into the soft pillow.

By the time Inoue heard the low knock on the door, she had became fully aware of her surroundings. It reminded her of the old houses from the feudal period of Japan's history. The room in which she woke up seemed very spacious, with few pieces of furniture organized in a very simplistic fashion, and in the middle was her bed, which, despite appearances, was very comfortable. Running her hand across the sheets, she concluded that they must have been made of silk. _Just where exactly was she?!_

"Come in." her response was almost an instinctive reaction to the knock.

The girl that entered the room had a lithe frame, and wore a bright red kimono with engravings of cranes and white flowers on it. One of her violet eyes was partially covered by a lock of her black hair. It was _her_! The girl at the pastry shop.

"Hello. My name is Kuchiki Rukia. Pleased to meet you!" she sat down next to her bed in a formal _seiza_ style, bowing her head slightly.

"I'm Inoue Orihime. Pleased… to meet… you too?" The orange haired girl noticed the warm smile Rukia gave her.

"I know who you are." Rukia nodded to her own words.

"How would you know? No. Rather, where am I?"

"You are in Soul Society."

"Soul So-ci-e-ty?" Inoue's confusion was growing "Wait… AM I DEAD?!" She jumped out of bed, her face carrying a grave expression. "I can't be dead! I had so many more things to do! So many plans for the future!"

"C-Calm down. You're not dead."

"So many places I did not get to visit…"

"Are you even listening?"

"So many foods I did not get to taste!" her hands were frantically going down and up.

"Oy, BOKE! I SAID YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" Rukia screamed loud enough to grab Inoue's attention. The girl was now looking back at her with a half-terrified expression. "I swear…you have so much energy. You remind me of someone." An image of Renji passed through her mind, but after realizing that her temper got the best of her, Rukia, went back to sitting down "I-I mean… You are not deceased, Miss Orihime."

"I… er…"

Rukia did not have time to apologize for her outburst, however, as the next moment another knock was heard on the door.

"I'm coming in." Gorou Kuchiki did not wait for a response.

"Gorou-sama…" Inoue noticed Rukia's smile immediately fade as she bowed to the man who had just entered the room.

"I see you are awake, Miss Inoue Orihime." He looked at her, completely ignoring Rukia. Orihime could have sword that the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees when the old man entered. "My name is Kuchiki Gorou, and you, my dear girl…" he paused for a moment, analyzing her from head to toes "…have been asleep for the past three days. Do not fear, however, as such things are normal for humans when they first experience _kidou_ or pass through the Senkaimon."

"What is a _Senkaimon_?" Somehow, it was not the first time she heard that word.

"Unfortunately, Byakuya-sama was made unavailable at this moment, due to his duties at the 6th Division. However, it is my deepest honor to welcome you to the Kuchiki estate in his stead. " Despite the wide smile he displayed, Inoue couldn't help but get the chills from this man's presence. "I am certain that you have many questions, and unlike _others_…" He threw a sharp stare at Rukia - who Orihime noticed that she did not move to meet his eyes, obviously choosing to take the insult without retort "…I am more than suited to answer them."

"Please… Why am I here?" The man reminded her of a snake, with his intense gaze and wide grin.

"Oh my… I was informed that you were told the reason why you have been brought to Seireitei. You are here to serve as the chosen of the White Dragon Avatar, Kuchiki Byakuya-sama."

The moment of her abduction flashed through her mind.

"Chosen…?"

"Yes. His…mate, if you prefer."

"…?"

"Ugh." The old man seemed irritated at having to explain the meaning of his words to this extent "The mother of his offspring."

"WHAT?!"

Gorou's grin widened. Rukia couldn't help but notice that he was enjoying the girl's torment.

"Impossible. That's impossible! You kidnapped me, and then brought me to this place… all for the reason of being some guy's _wife_?"

"Wife? When did I say that you would become his wife? Do not get full of yourself, human!" Anger had suddenly flared in his expression. "You are here solely to bring his offspring into this world, and after that you'll-"

"Like hell I will! I don't know _who_ you people are, but this is crazy." Orihime took a few steps back and grabbed a small vase off the sleep stand by the bed, when the elder tried to approach her.

"You little…" his face turned to a shade of red. He raised his hand towards Orihime, and to the girl's surprise, claws started protruding from his fingernails.

"Gorou-sama!" Rukia's eyes were wide with shock, something which made the Kuchiki elder calm down.

"Hmph." He regained his composure, using his hand to weave signs in mid-air. "Come, girl. You are to be prepared for Byakuya-sama's arrival."

Before Inoue could react or answer, the vase dropped to the ground, as her hands locked themselves behind her back and Inoue dropped to her knees.

"Bakudo No. 1: Sai." Gorou's grin took back its place on his face, just as Orihime once again fell asleep.

[…]

This was a nightmare. I had to be. Any moment now her alarm clock will wake her up with that annoying sound she selected from its options and then she will make breakfast, take a shower and go to work at the pastry shop in Karakura. Yes. Any moment, now.

"Orihime. Oh… Can I call you Orihime?" Rukia had entered the room where the Kuchiki house servants were dressing her brother's prize. "You seem to have calmed down. I apologize for your treatment at the hands of Kuchiki Gorou. Gorou-sama is the oldest member on the Kuchiki family's Coincil. As you have seen, he does not take kindly to any form of reckless behavior. His patience is even more limited when it comes to humans."

"What do you mean… humans?" Inoue turned towards Rukia, to the dismay of the servants who had to adapt and turn in sync with her movements.

"Oh, I am sorry. I keep forgetting. Orihime, listen… Soul Society is the place where _dragons live_."

Definitely a nightmare. There was no other explanation. This time, though, she would be glad to hear that annoying clock's alarm.

"I see you do not believe me. I understand, though. Every human finds it hard to believe, but I shall prove it to you beyond any doubt."

"Haha, are you going to show me such a dragon?" The orange-head couldn't help but find Rukia's words outrageous.

"Actually, yes, I am. Meiko… if you please."

"As you command, Rukia-sama." No sooner did she finish her sentence, that the servant's skin turned scaly and her hands became claws. A pair of brown wings slowly started growing from her back, barely fitting in the room they were in.

"Meiko here is a copper dragon. She is still young, ofcourse, which is why she is so small."

The girl turned dragon was staring down Orihime with reptilian shaped, yellow eyes. It was real. She could feel the warmth emanating from the beast, hear its sluggish breath, and feel the floor bend under its weight.

"Thank you, Meiko. That will suffice. We do not want to scare our guest."

"Hai, Rukia-sama." Within moments, the dragon had taken back its human form. Inoue closed her eyes, not sure how to react to the girl who did not seem embarrassed, even though she was completely naked now. A mere second later, though, clothes seemed to have materialized from this air, onto her body.

"Haha. Do not worry. You should not feel ashamed at seeing her like this. Dragons do not wear clothes in their normal or human form. What you are seeing now is Meiko's projection of how she sees herself and how she wants to look. Although it's a bit more complicated, I guess you could consider her clothes as sort of an illusion."

"Kuchiki-san…"

"Hmm?"

"How can this be real? How can a place like this exist? How can dragons exist and why doesn't the world know about it?!"

Rukia's smile faded away at the question.

"There are probably those who can explain this better than me, but I'll try to explain." She waved the servants away, after concluding that they had finished dressing Inoue. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Then turned to the orange-head "Come take walk with me, Orihime."

[…]

The Kuchiki gardens were beautiful beyond anything Inoue had imagined. They headed in an atmospheric ravine south of the house, littered on both sides of the sidewalk with bushels of white roses, complemented by asiatic flowering shrubs - wonderful magnolias and camellias among them. The whole place seemed well tended to, and at the same time, left wild.

"The gardens are taken care of by a few loyal green dragons. They have a way with such things. I always enjoy observing the results of their labor."

Rukia's words brought her back to her senses.

"So… Kuchiki-san…"

"Ah, yes. I did say that I would try to explain things to you. I suppose sharing the history of Seireitei would clear things up, at least a bit."

"…"

"Well, in truth, I cannot really start from the beginning, because the great archives that contained details about Creation were lost to a cataclysm several thousand years ago… but you see, as far as recorded history stretches, Dragons have always been the guardians of the world and protectors of mankind… locked in eternal conflict with demons that try to destroy Creation and devour human souls. We call those demons Hollows."

"Hollows…?"

"Mhmm. It was a name given to them by humans, because of their appearance… back in the days when humans and dragons worked together towards the common goal of stopping Hollow attacks."

"Back in the days? How long ago was this, Kuchiki-san?"

"Well… before the Great War between humans and dragons, the two used to work together. You see, each dragon is a very powerful warrior in its own right, but the demons were legion compared to the rather limited number of dragons, so the later were beginning to lose more and more battles. It was then that they decided to turn the demon's weapons against them. Hollows have the ability to fire powerful shots of pure energy called Cero, by harnessing the power of their soul… or Reiatsu. The dragons observed how the hollows did it and took it to another level, learning to use their own reiatsu for more varied types of spells. One such spell was the one that put you to sleep… or the one that Gorou used to bind your arms."

Orihime frowned at the memory of that moment.

"Another side effect of unlocking their soul's potential was the creation of Zanpakutos. Weapons with incredible destructive powers that were unique to each and every dragon."

"That sounds surreal, Kuchiki-san."

"But even with the use of Kidou and Zanpakutos, the demons were still too many for the guardians to handle alone and so, they decided to reveal their existence to mankind, explaining to them the threat that hollows posed to their world. However, humans could not practice Kidou and their physical form were much too weak to stand up against the demons, so they needed another way to fight."

"How did they manage, in the end?"

"It was discovered that humans could gain extraordinary abilities if they drank dragon blood. Those powers were different than a dragon's, but powerful enough to injure or kill hollows. And so, a large number of humans were recruited and taken to where dragons had always lived and trained in the arts of combat, after which they were given dragon blood to drink, sealing their fate as Dragon Knights; the first humans that arrived here thought they had died and gone to Heaven, which is why they named it Soul Society. The real name of the place is something that cannot be spoken in human language, though."

"But you said that humans and dragons had a war…"

"Yes. This is where it gets a little complicated, so keep up. The human-dragon pact was very prosperous for both sides. Drinking dragon blood produced powerful human warriors, which were lead into battle by the wisdom and experience of dragons. The guardians respected humans so much that they even started taking their form themselves, to show solidarity. Anyway… winning battle after battle, the armies of humans and dragons reached the last bastion of Hollow resistance. With great losses, they managed to defeat the Hollow King, but before dying the demon used his entire power to place a curse on the alliance that had destroyed his armies and kingdom. Because dragons were the ones who involved humans into the conflict, he cursed them so that they would always be dependent on humans, making any and all dragons unable to breed amongst themselves, but instead forcing them to use human males or female counterparts in order to bare offspring."

"T-that's horrible!" Orihime's eyes widened.

"Although they had obtained victory, for the dragons it came at an unimaginable price. Most of the guardians refused outright to use such means to conceive, even if it meant dying without leaving heirs behind. Because of this, even after their defeat, the hollows had destroyed more than three quarters of the dragon population. The remaining dragons continued to live in harmony with humans, adapting to the curse in order to save their kind from extinction. Finding humans that were willing to comply with the needs of the dragons was not at all hard, given the good relations between the two sides."

"So then why would they end up going to war against eachother, Kuchiki-san?"

"Well… With time, the dragon numbers seemed to swell, again, thanks to the assistance of humans, but while the guardians were trying to get back to their former power, the hollows somehow rebuilt their armies and attacked without notice, taking the dragon-human alliance completely by surprise and destroying a large part of the human population. Worse was the revelation that the hollows had regained their strength under the guidance of Aizen Sousuke, the Black Dragon Avatar, who wanted to combine demon and dragon power in order to transcend to the next level of existence. Upon learning this terrible truth, humans immediately turned against dragons, believing that dragons were now trying to destroy their kind. Because of this, the guardians were not only cut off from their ability to replenish their numbers, but were now also fighting on two different fronts, both against the hollows and humans who had now given up the title of Dragon Knights and named themselves Dragon Hunters or _Quincy_."

"So Quincy were Dragon Hunters…who were once Dragon Knights, and were now fighting against dragons because they thought the dragons betrayed them?"

"I just said that, didn't I?" Rukia raised an eyebrow, not sure if the orange haired girl was understanding everything.

"Ermm… go on…"

"In the end, Aizen was defeated when, during a critical moment, his second in command - the Red Dragon Avatar, Ichimaru Gin - betrayed him. Although Gin ultimately died due to the terrible wounds he suffered in battle, his effort was enough to capture and permanently imprison Aizen beneath the halls of Sereitei."

"Wait… what? That monster is still here?!"

"With their leadership gone, the hollow armies were no real threat and thus were defeated easily. However, the Quincy were the new enemy. Humans had started killing dragons on their own and using their blood to make more Dragon Hunters with which to wage war. Finally admitting their mistake of having involved humans in the first place, the dragons decided to hunt down and exterminate _all_ of the Quincy in the world. When that task was accomplished, and the dust of conflict settled, dragons were almost extinct, numbering only a bit over 3000. They retreated back to Soul Society, where they would watch over Creation from the shadows, intervening to fight hollows when necessary, but never to meddle in the affairs of humans."

"But I thought they were cursed to always depend on humans."

"Unfortunately, that remains true even to this day. Dragons hate doing this, because most of them despise humans now, given how the Dragon Knights turned against them, but the fact remains that they cannot give up on life and ignore the dangers that demons pose to the world. Because of this, the laws of Soul Society dictate that every dragon must bear offspring. But even with their already dwindling numbers, some guardians hate humans so much that they refuse to obey the law. Still, they cannot be punished in a real sense, given that such an act would cut their numbers down even more."

"So that is why you bring humans here… for _that_ purpose."

"It is a horrible truth, but yes… Humans number in the billions, while dragons can barely sustain their numbers. A few thousand humans are taken every generation for the purpose of mating, even against their will. A terrible price, but one that dragons accepted responsibility for in order to continue their vigil over mankind and the world."

"Is-Is that what is going to happen to me?" Orihime started shaking, her eyes fixed on the ground, unable to meet Rukia's gaze.

"If there was another way, they would find it…but there isn't. Believe me when I say that Byakuya Nii-sama would not do this if he had any other way… especially him! Many people don't see this, but he is a good person."

"Kuchiki-san…"

"He wouldn't have taken care of me if he was a bad person. He wouldn't have adopted me and given me a roof over my head." Rukia's voice was trembling.

"A-adopted? What do you mean?"

Rukia quickly whipped away the small water pearls that were running down her cheeks.

"Wait… you always referred to dragons as _them_, instead of _us_. A-are you… _human_?"

Rukia opened her mouth hesitantly, but was cut off by a servant who was clearly given purpose to find the two girls.

"Rukia-sama… Miss Orihime-sama, Lord Byakuya has commanded that you join him for dinner."

* * *

**That is all for now, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Keep in mind that I have no beta, and as soon as I finished writing this, I posted it, so excuse the mistakes if they are present within the chapter. **

**It is rather sad to see that from approximately 200 readers on the 1st chapter, only 4 people took the time to leave a comment. Writers will almost without exception favour a review over an "Add to favourites" or "Add to watch list" or even "Add author to favourites" . A review not only inspires the writer to continue with his work, but can also help him develop his writing skills towards creating better stories.**

**That is why I am telling everyone who reads stories: whether be it my work or someone else's that you take a look over, consider leaving reviews (with your own words) containing your honest opinion about the dribble/chapter/story you just read.**

**I dislike deliberately asking people for reviews, so I will not approach the topic again, but what I said above stands as truthful whether I say it or somebody else does.**

**Take care.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Good day, ladies and gentlemen. I present the 3rd chapter of "Whitelight and the Weaving Princess". This has been a slow update for reasons that I have explained in the ending part of my Author Note. I am thankful towards the people who read the former chapters and asked for updates.**

******Again, I remind you that I have no beta, so excuse the typos.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance... my head is bloody, but unbowed."

. . .

The walk from the Kuchiki gardens back to the manor was mostly silent. Rukia had never gotten to confirm her nature to Orihime, nor did she feel like talking about such a thing in front of the servant who was escorting them.

"Rukia-san… why is your brother called an Avatar?" The raven haired girl snapped back to her senses at the sound of Orihime's voice, noticing that she was starring at her expectantly. Her appetite for conversation had vanished with her companion's last question.

"An Avatar or Exemplar is apex of its kind, chosen from each generation." came the blunt response as Rukia continued to put one foot in front of the other, at a slow pace, not bothering to look back at Inoue. It sounded more like she was repeating a definition from a dictionary, rather than trying to make the girl understand.

"I see..." She wasn't sure that she got what it meant, but the aloof tone in Rukia's voice made Orihime understand that her curiosity would, at least for the moment, no longer be sated.

"There are different types of dragons in Soul Society." This whole situation reminded Rukia of the time she had been brought to this realm. She had nobody to tell her these things, except lifeless books given to her by creatures that could barely bring themselves to accept her existence. She had spent the first weeks crying her eyes out from dawn to dusk, wondering why of all people, she was the one that needed to go through all of this. Since then, she had come to terms with her fate, but decided that if anything can be done to assist another in her situation, she would do it. Helping the orange haired girl understand the world she would be a part of until the end of her days was the least Rukia could do. "Each type has certain characteristics that define it, and from the entire group, one is chosen who embodies said attributes above all his other peers. Such is the case with the great golden dragons, which grow bigger than most other types, often favoring brutal close combat - and their Avatar, Zaraki Kenpachi, who's pure strength cannot be matched in all of Sereitei. Or the reclusive green dragons that have a special connection to the ebb and flow of life energy - and their Avatar, Lady Retsu Unohana; she is rumored to have the ability of healing any ailment of the body. Byakuya Nii-sama is called an Avatar because he is the strongest of the White Dragons."

"And what do white dragons embody? What is your brother said to represent?"

"Elegance, purity, balance and…"

"_Death_." Came an elder woman's voice. "Unless you want to find out why… you'd best make sure not anger him, girl." Given her hunched body, her height barely reached two palms above Orihime's hips. The simple, stumpy cane she used for support was firmly held by a skeletal looking hand covered in wrinkly skin. Her hair looked like spider's silk, clumped together in a bun with two braids starting from each of her temples and extending just enough to be joined together at the base of the bun. Chiyo Kuchiki - former matriarch of the Kuchiki noble family - had been waiting for the two girls on the small porch that covered the garden entrance of the mansion. "Make haste. Byakuya-sama will be expecting you in the dining hall." Her guttural voice reminded Inoue of the sound a saw makes while grinding against wood. For a moment, she wondered how old the dragon was.

Chiyo Kuchiki circled the orange-head once, eyes as big as saucers, making no attempt to be subtle about staring at her target's breast and hips.

"H-Hey!" Inoue jolted forward a few steps, in reflex, when feeling the old hag's cane prodding one side of her rear.

"I see you filled the garments prepared for you quite well. Hmm yes… quite well, indeed. Byakuya-sama has chosen well. No less than expected from our lord. No less." Turning from the young girl, she moved past Rukia, giving her a simple nod and then entered the mansion, motioning a hand sign that could only mean she wanted to be followed. "But good looks alone will not suffice. Oh no, they won't." Orihime couldn't decide whether the woman was talking to herself or if she needed to answer. Rukia certainly wasn't of any help, and instead seemed to be amused at her predicament, given the wide grin she had on her features and tried to mask every time the old crone would turn towards them. "You must become a _lady_ worthy of carrying Kuchiki heirs. Oh yes. _A worthy lady_." Inoue involuntarily twitched at being reminded of her newfound role. Everybody talked as if she had nothing to say about this. "Rukia-chan will teach you some of what she knows. Mind you, she also has a lot left to learn, as well. _Quite a lot_."

"Yes, Chiyo-sama." Inoue noticed Rukia rolling her eyes, but still maintaining the smile on her face.

"You young ones have your mind on so many other things. I don't know what is going on in that world of yours, but every generation is more distracted than the last. Mhmm… more and more distracted." The stub of her cane kept echoing through the large rooms and hallways they passed through. "Normally, Byakuya-sama would have given us time to teach you these things. Oh yes… a lot to teach. According to customs, it would take weeks before a Kuchiki dragon would see his mate after bringing her from the human world." Again, Orihime twitched. "But his orders are absolute and he wishes for company while attending dinner. Mhmm."

The old woman stopped abruptly and then slowly turned to face them.

"There will be no slouching, no laughing, no talking with one's mouth full…" the much louder tone in Chiyo's voice startled Orihime, who couldn't help but wonder how many times the old matriarch repeated these words throughout the generations "…no engaging in idle talk with the servants during dinner, no talking without being addressed first and _most importantly_, no talking or referring to Byakuya-sama without proper honorifics and/or mentioning his late wife, Lady Hisana!"

"His…late wife?" Inoue's hushed question could not be heard over the voice of the old woman, and therefore was ignored. Chiyo continued her listing for another several minutes.

"Now that we have cleared the most basic of table manners, you two will head straight across the next room and into the main dining hall, as Lord Byakuya commanded. Go on then… move, move." Orihime only put her feet in motion when she felt repeatedly poked by the wooden cane.

[…]

The dinner was awkward at best, given the silence that surrounded the three attendants. Byakuya had allowed them to sit at the table and proceeded to eating his desired meal in silence. Despite the table in front of her being filled to the brink with food both exotic and common, the orange head's plate remained empty. This was the first time Orihime had the opportunity to analyze _him_, and as soon as she took a seat next to Rukia, she started throwing looks at her kidnapper from the corner of her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was his kenseikan, reflecting the dim light of the candles from within the cover of Byakuya's raven hair. She found it mildly eccentric, but perhaps it was a dragon thing… After another few glances, she realized that he wasn't paying attention to anything other than his meal and the quick sneak-peeks became stares. The white yukata he wore had a colorful peacock emblazoned on it, its tail feathers bristling with nuances of green, red and dark blue - it fell loosely from his lean shoulders around his upper body, leaving portion of his chest exposed, sufficient for Orihime to conclude that she liked what she saw, to her later embarrassment.

"Rukia…" Orihime's head popped back to face her plate, as if on a spring, when Byakuya spoke, wondering if he caught her staring and feeling her heart beating at the base of her throat "…how are the gardens, nowadays?"

"Beautiful, as always, Nii-sama. The green drakes work daily to maintain it." Rukia took a sip of water before continuing "It is the season for the cherry blossoms to bloom."

"Already that time?" The man took a deep breath, slowly releasing the air, moments after.

Rukia did not answer. She knew it was a rhetorical question, as nobody was more up-to-date about his surroundings than Byakuya. She noticed, however, that he was in a more talkative mood than most evenings. Wondering if it was because of their _guest_, she decided to press the conversation forward.

"I am convinced you would enjoy the view, Nii-sama. It is soothing to the other senses as much as to the eyes."

"Much as that is the case, between my duties with the 6th squad and clan matters, little time remains for such pleasures."

"If…If I may be so bold, I believe Nii-sama works too much." Rukia bowed her head as soon as she noticed the light frown that took over Byakuya's features.

The scene went silent again, and Orihime felt the need to say something after having watched their interaction. There was a lot she did not understand, like what his work encompassed, what exactly was a _6th squad_ and why would Rukia, as a human, refer to Byakuya as _Nii-sama_. Despite her desire for answers, she could not bring herself to form words, as if the man sitting at the end of the table had cast a curse on her, making any movement impossible. She did not know him, and yet by his simple presence, he managed to create a mix of curiosity, admiration and dread within her being. She mentally shook herself to snap out of it, trying to recall the table rules Chiyo mashed in her head during the short time spent together.

_No slouching…_

She straightened her back and pulled back her shoulders, which made her bust stick out even more.

_No talking with my mouth full…_

That would not be a problem given how she barely touched anything that she ended up putting on her plate.

_No talking with the servants…_

No servants were around to talk to. They only seemed to slide from and back into the shadows without as much as a sound, only when somebody would request something.

_No laughing…_

Right. She definitely did not need to worry about that with the tension in the air.

_Don't speak until I am spoke to…_

Well, that seemed to be a problem, given that he had ignored her the entire evening. The situation was getting to Inoue's nerves.

_Hmmm… What were the two important ones she mentioned? Always address him using the proper honorifics and-_

"Inoue Orihime, how did you enjoy the clan gardens?"

"How did your wife die?" Inoue blurted out without realizing that her mouth gave voice to thoughts.

_Ow. My. God._

The reaction was instantaneous, as a second later she heard the chopsticks break between Byakuya's fingers, which were now clenched in a fist. Rukia choke on her water, and Orihime could have sworn that she heard one of the servants trip in the background. If a gaze would ever kill, the girl was sure that Byakuya was to closest to achieving such a feat, given how the sharp look from his now yellow, reptilian eyes rivaled the edge of the sword he kept at his side.

"I… I'm-"

"Nii-sama… Please excuse her!" Rukia threw Orihime a panicked look before looking back at her brother "The effects of kidou must have affected her more than we though."

"No. It is alright." Byakuya rose from his seat, throwing his napkin next to his plate, with what could only be perceived by Orihime as disgust "I had already lost my appetite." Arranging his zanpakuto at its proper place, he moved towards the door "I shall retire. Enjoy the remainder of the evening."

"H-hai, Nii-sama."

[…]

The roasting she got from Chiyo was definitely one she would not soon forget. Rukia had not spoken a word about what had happened during dinner, but in the Kuchiki mansion, the very walls had ears and eyes. Inoue found it hard to believe that a person could even talk and chain insults as fast as the old woman was.

At the end of the day, she was never more glad to be alone in a room. The servants that bathed and dressed her in a nightgown had left for quite some time now, and she finally felt safe enough, under the sheets, to let the tears that she held back run down her cheeks. What had she gotten herself into. Rather, what was she forced to take part in? The image of her friends flashed through her mind. That's right… Tatsuki-chan, Sado-kun, Kurosaki-kun… she never got the chance to even say goodbye. They must be worried for her, searching for her. Another wave of warm tears washed down from her eyes. For the first time in her life she was glad that she had no family ties, if only to spare any other people from worrying for her.

Inoue's own exhaustion caught up with her and between hushed sobs, she soon fell asleep.

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**That is all for now. This chapter is shorter than the rest, but I have been troubled by a writer's block for about a month and this will have to do. Hopefully, it will suffice in terms of quality. **

**Inform me of your opinions on the chapter, as well as what you thought of the interaction between Byakuya and Orihime.**


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